GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- A restaurant owner on the westside of Grand Rapids is fed-up, saying thieves have targeted her establishment several times, almost once a month.
Early Monday morning, the owner of Tacos El Cunado at Bridge and Pine said that it was hit again, after a thief broke a window on their door.
"I'm tired. I've had enough. Seven times, I think it's no good," said owner Maria Martinez.
Maria Martinez has ran the westside Tacos El Cunado for the past three years. She said that the restaurant was broken into twice in the first two years, but since the first of this year, there has been a total of five break-ins.
"This business provides for families including mine, so I don't think it's good if these incidents happen again," said Martinez.
Martinez does have a security system that alerts her, but by the time she or police show up, a suspect is nowhere to be seen. There are surveillance cameras inside, but the latest illegal entry happened when the electricity was out from Sunday night’s storm.
"So, it's no power in here. So maybe he thinks no cameras, so I have to go get some cash,but there's no cash in here," said Martinez.
Martinez said that one of her options is to move out of the westside. She hopes it doesn’t have to come to that because she wants to continue serving a community she’s become close to.
"It's not good for me. It's not good for the community or probably I have to move somewhere else, but I don't want to. I love this community. I love this neighborhood and I don't want what happened like this, again and again," said Martinez.
Martinez has posted a sign on her door and has taken to Facebook, asking anyone to call police if they notice a would-be thief targeting her business.
"Somebody you know broke my door, window. Just call the police," said Martinez.
Martinez also said that she’s spoken with the Grand Rapids Police, who said that they might offer her extra security cameras to place outside the business.
If you have any information about these break-ins, you are asked to call Grand Rapids Police or Silent Observer at 616-774-2345.
